Denver and the West

Welding is the new hot course on campus

Jason Walsh, right, Front Range Community College welding-program director, works with Brandon Adams-Palmer, 17, a senior at Fort Collins High School, during a College Now-Welding CAD class at the campus in Fort Collins on Thursday. Top photo: Justin Carter, 16, a Berthoud High School student, welds two pieces of metal together for part of a barbecue grill he is making. (Photos by Andy Cross, The Denver Post)

FORT COLLINS — When Melody Fels first saw the twisted metal, sparks and gas flames, she knew she had found her new home.

"I walked into the welding shop, and I thought, 'Oh, how fun. This is where I belong,' " said the 18-year-old Fels, one of 10 female students immersing themselves in the expanding field of welding at the Fort Collins branch of Front Range Community College.

Welding is one of the fastest-growing fields in the United States as the construction industry scrambles to replace the bulk of welders entering their 50s and eyeing retirement.

"I'm one of the dinosaurs," said 52-year-old Keith Downey, a veteran of the oil and gas fields who works as an instructor at Front Range.

In 2008, the industry said the country needed 250,000 new welders.

"We haven't even gotten close to that," said Jason Walsh, welding-program director for Front Range Community College in Fort Collins.

At Front Range alone, enrollment in the college's welding program went from 60 students a semester nine years ago to 350 today, said Walsh.

Plenty of factors fuel the expansion, say industry officials. American industry is trying to repair and replace aging infrastructure of bridges and roads and needs thousands of welders, cutters and solderers.

Whatever the company, welders can expect to get paid well, Walsh said. After earning certification at Front Range, students can start out at $15 to $20 an hour, Walsh said. Soon enough, welders can earn $50,000 to $60,000 a year. And if they are willing to travel, a good welder can command an annual salary of $100,000.

"You can make a real good living doing this," Walsh said. "And I can guarantee, no one leaves this program without a job."

Justin Carter, 16, Berthoud High School, welds two pieces of metal together for part of a BBQ grill that he is making in a College Now-Welding CAD class at the Front Range Community College campus in Ft. Collins Thursday afternoon. The Denver Post/ Andy Cross (THE DENVER POST | ANDY CROSS)

The hike in the program's popularity prompted Front Range to build a 30,000-square-foot facility on campus to house welding and automotive-mechanic students.

Walsh says the building is partly a reward for the success of the program and the students it draws, who include juniors and seniors from local high schools.

"They are all pretty serious about what they do," he said. "Many come from families whose parents worked hard but lost their jobs over the past few years. So they know how important it is to have a good job."

There is another factor at work as well. Many see welding as a creative outlet.

That's what attracted Fels.

"I just like getting into ironworking and fusing two pieces together and seeing what I can come up with," she said.

"And the best part is that I can make a good living doing it," she said. "It's something I can use for the rest of my life."

Each student produces a piece that is auctioned off at the end of the semester to help pay for scholarships for the program. Last year, the auction netted $7,000.

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